Of the 1,721 new asylum seekers registered at the Refugee Desk in Kampala, 959 were Somalis, 568 Eritreans and 65 Burundians indicating a continuous and onward trend compared to previous months.

3,713 asylum seekers from Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) were recorded in the south west and mid-west operations, which was lower than previous months. The main reasons of flight included tension and violence in North Kivu and Ituri Provinces.

15 December 2018: On the road between Ouagadougou and BoboDioulasso, a Canadian aid worker traveling to Togo for a humanitarian project with the organisation Zion’Gaia went missing.
No further details specified. Source: aOuaga

Burundi

24 December 2018: In Kinindo commune, Bujumbura Mairie province, Burundian soldiers arrested an employee of the NGO Handicap International while he was at a bar. There is no indication as to why he was arrested. Source: SOS Averages Burundi

During the month of December 2018, 3,637 persons from South Sudan,
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Burundi arrived in Uganda, with the majority from DRC. The humanitarian situation remains unpredictable in South Sudan and the DRC.

Refugees from South Sudan continue to report fleeing primarily out of fear of attack by fighters from either side of the conflict inside the country, while those from DRC report inter-ethnic clashes and fear of post-election violence.

Cholera continues to represent a major public health concern in Eastern and Southern Africa Region (ESAR). From January to December 2018, approximately 37,565 cases and 443 cholera-related deaths were reported in the region with an average CFR of 1.2%. These cases emerged from 10 out of the 21 countries in Eastern and Southern Africa Region (ESAR).

• At the conclusion of the Deyr/short rains season, there remain large areas of drier-than-normal conditions across Somalia, in parts of eastern and southern Ethiopia, in eastern Kenya, and along the Kenya-Uganda border. However, December rainfall alleviated cumulative deficits in parts of the eastern Horn, bringing short-term but significant relief to pasture and water resources.

I. Since January 2013, the Financial Regulation governing the EU budget has allowed the European Commission to create and administer European Union trust funds for external actions. These are multi-donor trust funds for emergency, post-emergency or thematic actions.

This brief summarizes FEWS NET’s most forward-looking analysis of projected emergency food assistance needs in FEWS NET coverage countries. The projected size of each country’s acutely food insecure population (IPC Phase 3 and higher) is compared to last year and the recent five-year average and categorized as Higher, Similar, or Lower. Countries where external emergency food assistance needs are anticipated are identified. Projected lean season months highlighted in red indicate either an early start or an extension to the typical lean season.

• No Ebola case has been reported in Uganda despite the persistent influx of refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and regular trade activities across the DRC/Uganda border. This is largely attributed to the intensive Ebola prevention and preparedness efforts by the Ministry of Health and partners, including UNICEF. Over 100,000 people, including 35,000 children, were reached with messages on signs, symptoms, prevention and control of Ebola by UNICEF and the Uganda Red Cross Society.